Climate change a tense topic for Liberal Party cronies

Question Time has taken on a whole new meaning for western Sydney federal MP Melissa McIntosh after she was made to justify her comments on climate change – by an inner-city Liberal colleague who sits beside her in parliament.

• Reynolds’ ex in $10k funeral scam: ‘She’s an evil genius’
• Vaccine fears as evacuation flight from virus zone blocked

Question Time has taken on a whole new meaning for western Sydney federal MP Melissa McIntosh after she was made to justify her comments on climate change – by an inner-city Liberal colleague who sits beside her in parliament.

The exchange came after a testy meeting of all Coalition MPs on Tuesday in which Ms McIntosh offered bushfire feedback from voters in Lindsay, the Penrith-based seat she won from Labor at the last election.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph at a jobs fair in Cambridge Park yesterday, Ms McIntosh explained: “During this particular period when the fires have been really devastating, people haven’t been speaking to me about climate change.”

Western Sydney federal MP Melissa McIntosh.

Instead, they’ve been asking about the government’s response to the infernos – and how they can help.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by people wanting to do their bit,” she said.

Inner Melbourne MP Katie Allen, who sits beside Ms McIntosh in the House of Representatives, told the meeting there needed to be more action on cutting emissions.

Dr Allen told The Telegraph that later, in the House, she queried Ms McIntosh about her contribution to the party room debate.

“I asked her a question about why she felt the need to say people in her electorate were not worried about climate action,” Dr Allen recalled yesterday. “And she said because she’d been accused of saying there was an issue and she felt she needed to right the record.”

Ms McIntosh declined to respond when asked about this account.

“I don’t talk about private conversations with colleagues,” she said.

The Telegraph understands the exchange, which was witnessed by several other Coalition MPs, was more aggressive than Dr Allen’s versions of events suggests.

Inner Melbourne MP Katie Allen.

Ms McIntosh, who was born at Nepean Hospital, has a personal understanding of the loss fires cause. Her childhood home burnt down two years ago and a bushfire destroyed her brother and sister-in-law’s house in 2013.

Yesterday she said listening to her community would be key to retaining the seat.

Lindsay has had a series of short-lived members since being represented for 11 years by Liberal Jackie Kelly, who Ms McIntosh worked for.

“When I was running, people felt like they hadn’t been listened to for some years,” she said.

Former member Labor’s Emma Husar spent much of her tenure dealing with scandal.

Creating more high-quality local job opportunities was top of her agenda, along with helping to improve health outcomes.

To that end she is pushing for a Western Sydney version of the City to Surf.

“It’s going to be called City to Lakes – from the Penrith high street to the Nepean River then out to the International Regatta Centre,” she said. “It will be fantastic.”

In her maiden speech to parliament last year that she was due to be in one of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. But her trip to New York was cancelled just days before.

“I could not be here,” she said yesterday. After avoiding 9/11, she decided to spend more time with her now husband, who was travelling the world to compete in elite canoeing. They started a family soon after. It also led her to choose jobs based on rewards other than money and then, ultimately, into parliament last year.